Monday, May 30, 2011

The story I'm about to tell you is a wonderful example of what makes Twitter so great. Recently, Yelp and Atlanta Street Food tweeted that Food Network's Great Food Truck Race would be passing through Atlanta this Memorial Day weekend. The show chronicles a competition between food trucks from all over the county. They travel coast to coast, visiting a different major city every week. The truck that earns the least amount of money each week is sent home. The winner at the end of the show receives $100,000.

The thing about food trucks, and street food in general, is that they rely a great deal on viral marketing. They're always on the move, and it's up to word of mouth to make them successful. This past weekend, Twitter was ablaze with Atlantans announcing the trucks' ever-changing locations.

I was able to catch up with Roxy's Grilled Cheese when they were on Peachtree and 16th, across from the High Museum of Art. These contestants hailed from one of my favorite cities: Boston. They used local produce from the Peachtree Road Farmers' Market, as well as fine cheese from Atlanta's own Tim Gaddis. I was psyched to chat with some Bostonians, though they did call me out on my use of the word "y'all"...sigh...should have worn my Lester jersey so I'd look more legit.

Seriously though, the guys were great, and they looked like they were having a lot of fun serving Atlanta what I'm sure is some of their best work. Have a look for yourself!

We brought the dog along, so she was pretty excited to make friends with the camera man smell some food truck food.

Dave and I each got a sandwich, but we made friends with another couple who were nice enough to let us take some photos of their order. First up, sweet potato fries with maple peach gastrique.

The other side dish offered was panko-fried local oysters with a "Roxyfeller" sauce.

The other sandwich option was a Vermont crémont with proscuitto and quince. I don't think I've ever had quince before, but I hope to have it again after tasting this delicious fruity spread!

We didn't order dessert, but I saw them making it and had to share: marscapone peach brulée!

I'm pretty sure I need some sort of blow torch for my kitchen so I can make brulée. Gorgeous.

The menu was unique and innovative, but familiar enough not to be too intimidating. Grilled cheese is such a fun comfort food, and it was interesting to see their creative interpretation of it. I also really liked how much peach was on the menu...maybe we'll be seeing a lot of locally-targeted strategies this season? We'll have to wait and see! Tune in Sunday, August 14th at 10:00 PM Eastern for the premiere!

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Before our wedding, we left "out of town bags" for our guests staying in hotels. We decided to make these bags "grocery-themed" in order to help our guests feel at home. We filled several Atlanta reusable grocery bags from Trader Joe's with pecans, peanuts, and Coke. Unfortunately, we were unable to find any of Georgias favorite crop: the peach. Now that peaches are finally in season, I decided it was cause for celebration...in the form of waffles.

I tried to come up with a really cute Atlanta-y Southern outfit to feature with this meal, but unfortunately, I've been kinda homesick for New England lately. So, instead, you're getting something similar to what I'm wearing right now as I write this!

Heat peaches, cinnamon, and sugar on a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once it starts to sizzle, reduce to medium and cover.

Note: You don't need to peel off the skin from the peaches. If you don't like the texture, feel free to take it off; but, it will give the compote a nice color once it's all cooked!

Combine the flours through the egg with a whisk. Add pecans.

Spray waffle iron surface with cooking spray. Spoon about 1/2 cup of waffle batter onto the iron surface. Close and cook according to your waffle iron's instructions. This recipe made about 3 waffles with my iron.

By the time you're done with the waffles, the peaches should be nice and soft. Remove the cover and scoop the peaches onto the waffles.

Add some powdered sugar and enjoy!

Aaand here's a close-up of the compote, just in case you weren't salivating enough already.

Friday, May 27, 2011

I haven't been able to log into Blogger all week. I've been very sad about it, because I haven't been able to comment on my friends' posts, I haven't been able to write about things that I wanted to write about in a timely manner, AND I was REALLY worried that I wasn't going to be able to vlog! As an experiment, I attempted to log into Blogger using a different browser and, sure enough, that did the trick. Phew! That was a close one.

If you could dine with any three people, who would it be? I share my thoughts on this timeless hypothetical question.

What about you? Who would you like to strike up a dinner table conversation with?

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Today is May 25th, and, according to kjpugs, that means it's Blog Buddy Appreciation Day!

Less than two years ago, I entered the world of blogging. Less than a year ago, I began to write for Weddingbee. Life has not been the same ever since. It may sound cliche, but I really have gained so much from this experience. Not only has blogging been a wonderful creative outlet for me, I've met (whether virtually or in real life) some really incredible women. They're smart, beautiful inside and out, creative, and obviously entertaining. It's because of these strong female personalities that I view the blogging world as having a true girl power kind of vibe. Seriously, ladies, you rock.

I wanted to introduce you to just three of my blog buddies. I wish I could honor more of them (they really are fabulous, all of them), but let's be honest...that post could get a little wordy.

You may also recognize Kimberly as Mrs. Dolphin on Weddingbee, or the gal behind the husband-and-wife team of Gator Bride Videography. Kimberly is smart and creative, and above all, I really admire both her writing style and her entrepreneurial spirit. I first discovered her personal blog long before I had even discovered Weddingbee. I remember thinking how cool it was that they were a UF-UCF couple too (Just like us! OMG!), then I forgot all about it and got into hardcore wedding planning. We started commenting on each other's posts on Weddingbee when I remembered that this girl was the same writer from Gator Bride. We bonded over our love of everything orange and blue, as well our slight obsession with Disney. I hope our blog buddyship continues to grow over the years, especially if it means I can use her as an excuse to visit my old stomping grounds on the way to Disney World! Or maybe I'll just take her with me to Disney World...

Even though I've never met Jessica, I can tell that her capacity to love far exceeds that of most other bloggers. She comments on nearly all of my posts (which is a blogger's way of saying "I love you"), and it always brings a smile to my face. When another blog buddy, Layla, was facing some tough times, Jessica helped to put together a plan of action. Not only did she swoop in to help without hesitation, she rallied others to do the same. It was absolutely inspiring. Jessica is also one of my favorite tweeps, but that's another post for another day.

I chose this picture to demonstrate how awesome Kate is because her Weddingbee recaps were some of my favorites. Kate not only welcomed me onto the vlogging bandwagon with open arms, she seems to get almost as excited about I do when we discover weird similarities we have (like how much we both love Harry Potter). My favorite thing about Kate is how real she is. Her personality shines through her posts, and you can't help but smile along. Additionally, Kate is joining the Peace Corps. Mad respect.

Who are your favorite blog buddies? Make sure you honor BBAD by telling them how awesome they are!

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

1. Create a realistic plan to buy a house within the next year. We're not quite house hunting yet (as we're still trying to contribute to the fund a little), but we are house "browsing" pretty regularly. And by that, I mean that we have specific search criteria saved on Trulia and we check it pretty often. Not Facebook often, but pretty often. I think it's helping us explore the suburbs virtually, but more importantly, it's helping us to realize what we can afford. We're learning what upgrades unnecessarily drive the price up and what upgrades are priorities worth splurging on. It's an ongoing discussion, and I think we're making a lot of progress narrowing it down.

2. Maintain a minimal level of clutter. Our new vacuum is amazing. It almost makes cleaning up dog hair fun. Almost.

3. Act like newlyweds in order to feel like newlyweds.We were lazy together...a lot. But sometimes, those are the best days.

4. Make more good meals.We had a bunch of random things in the fridge, and I was procrastinating with grocery shopping. I threw it all in a casserole, it was edible, and it was pretty healthy. It's not worthy of a blog post and it wasn't the best original recipe I've ever created, but I was proud to come up with something that I didn't feel guilty eating!

We ordered some prints of our wedding photos, as well as some lovely frames to keep them in. The frames haven't arrived yet, but I would love to show you what we've got so far! Ladies and gentlemen, this week's positive picture(s)!

We put 3 1/2 x 5" bordered prints in this frame, which was formerly used as the memorial frame at our wedding ceremony:

I'm probably most excited about our canvas print, but we haven't decided on a place for it yet...which is why it's still in the plastic wrap:

How do you measure the success of your goals? I think I measure them just by how I feel. When I'm doing well, I just know it and my mood reflects that.What is failure to you when it comes to your goals? I feel failure the most when I didn't give something my all. I felt like a failure last week when I didn't really work my hardest towards my goals, but I cut myself some slack since I had been sick. Sometimes the true success is in not being so hard on myself!

Fun Question: If you could hop on a plane right now, where would you go? Ever since we had that Neapolitan pizza at Fritti during the culinary tour, I've been really "Romesick." I studied abroad in Italy during college, and the right meal (or wine) can make me super nostalgic! I would go back in a heartbeat.

Monday, May 23, 2011

On a recent trip to New Orleans, I was lucky enough to participate in a food tour led by two of my favorite foodies, Amy of The Nifty Foodie and Serena of Big Apple Nosh. It was delicious and fun, but I couldn't help feeling disappointed that Atlanta didn't offer something similar. Serena does this kind of thing all the time in New York, and I know San Fransisco and Chicago offer similar experiences. Much like with our food truck situation, Atlanta was light years behind other food towns. Then, like a beacon of hope, Atlanta Culinary Tours came into existence.

Atlanta Culinary Tours was founded by Beth, who is the Atlanta Ethnic Foods writer on Examiner, and Dave, who writes for Eat Buford Highway. With their combined food blogging experience, they are well connected to the Atlanta food scene. They host a variety of events, including Sichuan dinners and tours of the Sweet Auburn Curb Market. I recently attended their walking tour around two of my favorite historic areas in Atlanta, Inman Park and the Old Fourth Ward. These neighborhoods used to be a thriving industrial area, but before that, they were the epicenter of the Battle of Atlanta.

Inman Park later became Atlanta's first planned suburb. The Old Fourth Ward was the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and therefore one of the birthplaces of our country's Civil Rights movement. Today, these neighborhoods make for beautiful, diverse, and interesting places to eat.

Savi is a small grocery store, complete with toiletries; but they also offer unique snacks, and they have a fromagier on staff. (By the way, wouldn't that be the best job ever? Fromagier?!) They also allow their customers to sample their affordable wines and craft beers prior to purchase.

They offered our group a few samples, including mac and cheese, a quinoa-arugula salad, and death-by-chocolate cupcakes.

Everything was delicious, right down to the super sharp cheddar in the mac and cheese! Mmm...cheese.

This place has been on my to do list for years, but for some reason I've just never been. (Perhaps because Pure Taqueria is located across the street and has awesome margaritas?) Now that I've tried Fritti, I'm absolutely ashamed that it's taken me so long to go! You see, I studied abroad in Italy back in the day, and I have a soft spot for Real Italian Food. Fritti features Neopolitan pizza that is pretty much as legit as you can find in America. I can attest to this, as they introduced us to the authentic ingredients before serving the actual dish.

Mozzarella di bufala and marinara made from Mount Vesuvius tomatoes? Yes please! In addition to the purest of ingredients, Fritti features an Italian oven that can cook a pizza in 45 seconds. We were lucky enough to enjoy one of these pizzas, along with a side of homemade limoncello.

Somehow, we weren't stuffed after all that pizza. We moved on to Parish, one of my top three favorite restaurants in Atlanta. (The other two are Murphy's and Panita, which are both stories for another post.)

Parish began as a Cajun restaurant, but has since expanded their menu to include all sorts of Southern comforts. There are two things that make Parish stand out from other Southern eateries. The first is their downstairs market...

...the second is their incredible decor.

The most interesting fact I learned throughout the entire tour was that Parish boasts the building's original ceiling...from 1890. The building was part of an annex established in 1850. This means that some of the older buildings in the area were built prior to (and survived) Sherman's torch. My nerdy side devoured this trivia.

After drooling over the interior, we enjoyed some pan-seared ham hock with mustard and arugula.

We then ventured over to the more upscale Park's Edge, where we were treated to ahi tuna with avocado. It was light and refreshing after the rich pork.

We crossed the bridge from Inman Park over to the Old Fourth Ward, where were visited P'cheen. P'cheen is an international bistro, but the diverse menu isn't overwhelming or intimidating enough to stop you from ordering a PBR with your meal. Thank goodness for that.

We started with "Drunken Mushrooms," mushrooms drowned in sage-parsley sauce with provolone.

Next, we sampled P'cheen's award-winning fish and chips.

Finally, we were treated to mussels in a curry sauce.

Everything was delicious, and our portions were very generous.

For our final stop, we went across the street to Across the Street (insert Who's On First joke here). We enjoyed some chips, salsa, guacamole, queso, sangria, and margaritas. And if that wasn't enough, we were also served goat cheese enchiladas with mango and jalapeno.

Porch-sitting on a gorgeous day made the meal all the more enjoyable.

Atlanta Culinary Tours did a really great job showing off the wide range of cuisine Inman Park and the Old Fourth Ward have to offer. The walking aspect of the tour was nice, because it provided breaks between the gluttony and allowed us to burn off a few and make room for more. Dave and Beth were knowledgeable, and eager to entertain any questions. I had a really great time, and not just because of the food; the neighborhoods were just gorgeous.

Sorry if you're reading this and that's your house. Actually, you know what? I'm not sorry. Your house is gorgeous. Also, there were fresh mulberries outside. And I ate them.

Have you explored Inman Park and the Old Fourth Ward? What's your favorite restaurant in the area?

My American Girl doll, Felicity, was my source of entertainment for years and years. This was back when there were four American Girls. There was no American Girl of Today, and there certainly weren't any American Girl Place stores that offered tea party birthdays. I would know...because I would have been ALL. OVER. THAT.

Without further ado, here I am reminiscing about fond memories with my favorite toy!

What about you? What was your favorite childhood toy? Do you still have it? Or did you donate it or sell it?

Thursday, May 19, 2011

While scrolling through my Google Reader today, I discovered that two of my favorite bloggers (Amy of Life's Journey with a Smile and Jessica of Heart on Homestead) both posted about their Freebie Five. You know what I'm talking about. I'm sure you've seen that episode of Friends:

Ross and Rachel each picked their top five celebrities. It was mutually understood that if they were to encounter one of said celebrities at any given point, they were allowed to, you know, go for it without any repercussions from their significant other. Ross laminated his list, and antics ensued.

I decided to join in on the fun and share my Freebie Five, as well! The first two have probably been on this list of mine since that episode of Friends originally aired.

Maybe it's the fact that he's the charismatic lead singer of 311 (who have been my favorite band since I was about twelve). Maybe it's the fact that he wears white denim. Maybe it's the fact that he does yoga and tweets about stuff like kale.